Heretic (video game)

Heretic
Cover art of the mail order release by Brom
Developer(s)	Raven Software
Publisher(s)	id Software
Director(s)	Brian Raffel
Producer(s)	John Romero
Programmer(s)	Ben Gokey Chris Rhinehart
Composer(s)	Kevin Schilder
Engine	Doom engine
Platform(s)	DOS, Mac OS, RISC OS
Release	NA: December 23, 1994 (Shareware Version)[1] NA: December 27, 1994 (Full Version) NA: March 22, 1996 (Shadow of the Serpent Riders) EU: March 31, 1996 (Shadow of the Serpent Riders)
Genre(s)	First-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Heretic is a dark fantasy first-person shooter video game released in December 1994. It was developed by Raven Software and published by id Software through GT Interactive.

Using a modified version of the Doom engine, Heretic was one of the first first-person games to feature inventory manipulation and the ability to look up and down. It also introduced multiple gib objects that spawned when a character suffered a death by extreme force or heat. Previously, the character would simply crumple into a heap. The game used randomised ambient sounds and noises, such as evil laughter, chains rattling, distantly ringing bells, and water dripping in addition to the background music to further enhance the atmosphere. The music in the game was composed by Kevin Schilder. An indirect sequel, Hexen: Beyond Heretic, was released the following year. Heretic II was released in 1998, which served as a direct sequel continuing the story.